The Las Vegas Raiders have decided to bench starting quarterback Derek Carr for the last two games of the season.
Raiders are benching Derek Carr and turning to Jarrett Stidham as their new starting QB.
Carr has thrown a league-leading 14 interceptions— including three Saturday night during a 13-10 loss to the Steelers.
Stidham has thrown only 61 passes and never has started an NFL game. pic.twitter.com/IJa1LfYGXT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 28, 2022
Backup quarterback Jarret Stidham will start the remaining game. This move comes as quite a shock to the entire NFL. Things are certainly looking like the Raiders organization will be heading in a new direction at quarterback next season with this move taking place.
Derek Carr has been the starting quarterback for the Raiders ever since he was drafted. Carr has started almost every single game of his career with the team. His performance this season is definitely the reason he is being benched. This season, Carr is leading the NFL in interceptions with 14. He threw three critical interceptions in last week’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers that most likely sealed their fate in not becoming a playoff team.
It remains to be seen if Derek Carr will play another snap for the Las Vegas Raiders. Carr signed a very team friendly extension recently. If Las Vegas decides to cut him, they would not lose that much money. Head coach Josh McDaniels came to the decision because they want to hold him out to maintain his trade value.
Teams could use a quarterback like Derek Carr. Teams like the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets are good landing spots for Carr. Who knows what the future holds for Carr but it looks like his time in Las Vegas is coming to an end.
The Raiders now turn to Jarret Stidham. Stidham was drafted in the 4th round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He has never started an NFL game in his career, and will get his time to shine. Unfortunately they face off against on the best defenses and team overall in the San Francisco 49ers.
The Raiders are 10 point underdogs this week according to NFL betting sites. With Las Vegas starting Stidham, look for San Francisco to win big in this one.
